THE 2013 budget figures earlier presented to the National Assembly by President Goodluck Jonathan has been described by his Senior Special Assistant of Public Affairs, SSAPA, Dr. Doyin Okupe as one that raised the assured hopes of all Nigerians.
Dr. Okupe made this public on a Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, FRCN, live audience participation programme where he categorically stated that the budget is a document arising from the uniquely designed Transformation Agenda of the present administration.
Responding to a question, Dr. Okupe denied alleged shortfalls in the 2013 budget informing that it has reduced deficit and procurement of more debt hence, the funds generated from the subsidy has been channeled into relevant government activities.
While highlighting the salient aspects of the 2013 budget estimates, Dr. Okupe wants all to understand that all avenues used in attacking poverty, empowerment of women, safety of air travel have been integrated into the framework thereby making it a budget of inclusion that will go a long way in seen 2013 a budget of hope for all Nigerians.
He re-emphasised that the transformation agenda was packaged in a way that there will be a change to critical infrastructure, power, health care delivery, jobs creation, revival of agriculture, rule of law, free, fair and credible elections as well as other human development index issues among others.
In his words: “I believe that this was a uniquely designed agenda to actually change the landscape in terms of infrastructure in order to directly affect the living standard of Nigerians and improve human indices. This is in general terms. But specifically, if you look at the broadcast the president made on his inaugural speech, he explained that his transformation agenda to include the building of infrastructure; giving greater access to quality education; improved health care delivery and paying special attention to agriculture to ensure food security; jobs creation and of course delivery of power and to ensure efficient and affordable public transport system”.
On the power sector, he said the monumental success achieved is glaring for all to see hence more people have longer access period to electricity now maintaining that, “this is the first government that has promised to deliver on several key areas and is actually doing so especially in sectors that were regarded as ones in which no significant progress will be derived from”.
In agriculture Dr. Okupe pointed out that, the entire sector has been facelifted using the value chain approach, procurement of improved seedlings and distribution of critical inputs to farmers. According to him, the sector has started contributing greatly into the non-oil sector earnings for the country and that by 2015, not fewer than three million and five hundred people will be gainfully employed in the sector. Also, he made it clear that, hence Nigeria was rated as one of the leading producers of cassava in the world, the present administration decided to embark on a deliberate policy that has now led to massive exportation of cassava flour in addition to embracing the 10% cassava flour substitute to bread.
“In all these, wealth is created and diverted into the rural areas”, he said.
The SSAPA equally mentioned other sectors affected by the transformation agenda to include, aviation, rail transport system and reminded Nigerians that, the time for lamentation has now been replaced a new era of concrete transformation.
On the state of national security, Dr. Okupe maintained that, significant progress has been made in the task of ensuring safety of lives and property. He believed that in the diminishing levels of attacks shows ranks Nigeria as the only country that shrunk insurgency within a record time.
Dr. Okupe enjoined Nigerians to play a good role in order to take the country to the next level and not hesitate to point out areas where things are going in the wrong direction for appropriate corrective measures insisting that, all Nigerians are stakeholders in Nigeria project.